Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-10-22
A STRANGE STORY.
The Military Man and the Million
aire-Mackay and Boulanger.

alre-Mackay ana Boulanger.
"You newspaper fellows" says awell-known
wheat broker TO a San Francisco Chronicle
man, ''are making a great fuss about the bust
cd wheat deal and the losses that will accrue
from trying to corner the worlds wheat, but
/ believe you've overlooked one queer thing
about the whole NATTER"
"What's thati"
"Give me time and I'll get there" said the
broker biting off the end of a cigar. "Now,
here" he continued, ticking the points of on
his fingers, "are the reasons the newspapers
are giving for the smash-up-coyetousness
miscalculatlons, excessive crop, increased
facilities of transportation, amateur fnancier-
ing, and the refusal of help by other bank1.
Now, these are all factors in the tumble, OF
course, but there's another that does not seem
to have been properly appreciated. One rea'
son for this is, | suppose, that you are so IN
the habit of looking upon commercial mat,
tiers as something SO matter-of Tact that you
can't conceive of their having ANYTHING
romantic about them You can believe me,
however, when / tell you that the romance OF
trade is as fruitful subject as that OF chang
ed children, or Il forged Will"
''Where is the romance in this caseP'
"Tm getting there" said the broker. gently
You will remember, a number of military OH
GERS were sent out to this country by the
French replblic to take part in the centenary
of the battle of Yorktown. Among
their number was Brigadier Gen. Erneste
| Boulanger. After the celebration IN
! the east was over he came out here. he was
/ q pleasant, cheerful kind of chap and made
| many friends of both sexes Among the Tor
| mer was Raphael WE'LL who acted "a his tdus
Achates and saw to his every comfort. SO in
innate. indeed, did they become that twas
| currently reported that should Boulanger
Raphael might almost expect to be made an
archangel Not bad. that, ehP'
| "But Boulanger had no aspirations then !;
| had he any aspirations, / mean, besides those
| of getting on III the services"
| Excuse me-" was the brokers' reply. "Not-
withstanding BOulanger's free and easy ex-
/ terror, it is, | thought matter OF history
that as early as 1881 his plans were ripe and
only awaited publicity. Thus it was that after
| his accession tn that portfolio in the French
| cabinet which for fifteen years has been deem
| ed of equal Importance WITH that OF 1orelgn
affairs his plans for the reorganization ot the
| French army were immediately made known
Every detail was nicely adjusted and all
things prepared for a still bolder stroke"
But what has all this got to do with the
wheat dealn 1t was asked with some I'm
patience,
|
| brushing the cigar dust off his vest, THAT
Boulanger even tEen-in 1881, | mean-was
an aspirant for power and that he had an eye
| on the future Consequently he looked 10 the
value of his friends, aud second OF these
Was another San Francisco gentleman, none
other than John w. Mackay. Now, perhaps,
| you will see which way the cat Is going 10
lump can't state positively that Boulanger
made Mackay's acquaintance right here, bui
| do know that later on, when Mackay went
to Paris the general and he were on very
good terms. Things had gone very well with
Boulanger. On his return 10 France from
America he was intrusted with the Office oi
director of infantry under the minister Of war,
and in that position had done much toward
the reorganization Of the army. Then In 1884
be took command of a division in Africa and
transformed the expedition OF force into one
Of occupation at Tunts. Lastly, upon the
formation of the De FreycInet cabinet hi'
great popularity became evident. Now, as tC
what passed between the millionaire
and the military man ] can not OF course
say with exact detail But l have
heard it more than whispered that th'
millionaire was let into the confidence OF th'
military man, and that the plan'
were known, if not shared in, by thu
successful miner Now, then, let's put th
ease alphabetically, as the lawyers say. Herr
was Frenchman, as ambitious as they max
them, and with the chief point OF ambition oil
the settlement of the old feud between Ger
many and France. Being Frenchman, too
, he was in all probability-to put it mildly
, speeulator. Here, too, was another man VIII
millions at his command war, we Will say
might be precipitated-war whose end or eS
tent no man could foresee. 1t would, however
be great European war, and someone wOul
have to feed the armies. Not only would til
I armies have to be fed, but they would have
A be fed at any price. Now, then, suppose tu
arrangements between the two went SO Tar 4
to include fixed scheme by the one man
bring about this war; All that the other woul
have to do would be to corner all the whea
, and he would be master of the situation, an
every grain would be golden. To come bac
now To the facts, the Goblet ministry came II
and Boulanger was still minister OF war. Nj
Mackay, or the bank of Nevada, or Dresbac
and Rosenfcld, or tie wheat clique, or wha
ever you may like to style 1t, did begin buyiil
D up ali the wheat he could lay hands on, unit
$ IL looked as though he were actually attemp
ing to corner the food-stuf OF the worl'
Everything looked lovely. In France 1t ha
gone so far that about May last a mobilizatio
l. of the troops was on the tapis, and German
!. was on pins and needles as to how threate
: ing that massing of the soldiers along u
frontier might be. In San Francisco u
wheat was being bought up right and lef
the price was forced up to figure TIL
), made conservative men ehake their heads, o.
" still the purchases went on. lhen came u
: collapse The French people theI
e selves grew frightened. Boulanger was d
clared to be a dangerous man, the Rouv,
cabinet was formed, aud Boulanger was lie
out in the cold. The immnence of war W
l. ayerted, and wheat, in perfect sympath
v mark you, began to go down. The first era
:, really came then, and though 1t was stav
= of a few weeks you have seen that the
q eyitable did take place"
Every ingenious and interesting" said
,s Chronicle man. "Have / your permission
print the remarkable storyP'
r "Why, certainly; print it IL you wish to
6 said the good-tempered but modest brok,
l. "By the way," ne concluded glancing at
watch, s'You might add this: The spirit
war has by no means been laid-your o'
d daily dispatches prove that. That for the n
a. point and the second is, that there is gre
!. big bulk of the cique's wheat that Is still afC
and unsold. Put these two together, recil
u in the proper percentage of possibilities, a
YOU will see that wheat may be good TIL
IN to hold after all
a A Disgusting Traffic.